How Do Home Births Work?
/If you’ve begun to consider where and how you might want to experience childbirth, an individualized experience or home birth may have piqued your interest. But you might still be asking yourself, “how do home births work?”
Home births have many commonalities with hospital births, but they also have some distinct differences. Here is glimpse of what our home birthing process typically looks like:
Before The Birth
Throughout your pregnancy, you’ll have a series of prenatal visits with a midwife (which typically last at least 45 minutes each). During these visits there is plenty of time to ask questions, discuss self-care and nutrition, and learn everything you want to know about childbirth, breastfeeding, and the local resources available.
As soon as you start experiencing early labor, our team will be in active communication with you. Once you begin to go into active labor, we’ll come to your home to prepare for the birth. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The Setup
Upon arrival, we’ll begin setting up all of our things. This includes a large rolling bag filled with all of our supplies, IV fluids, and a tank of oxygen. A tray with neonatal resuscitation equipment and medications will be prepped and ready for use. If you’re interested in having a water birth, we’ll set up our birthing tub. With warm towels and blankets at the ready, we’ll get you feeling as comfortable as possible to begin the childbirth process.
Who Is There
Backed by a team of birthing experts, we’ll have a midwife, her birth assistant, and you may also have a doula on hand to assist with the birth.The midwife and doula will guide you through the birth itself, while the birth assistant will support the midwife by helping with electronic records, and being ready to assist should any complications arise. The midwife will provide monitoring services by listening to and interpreting baby heart tones using the handheld doppler. If a health condition arises, the midwife will communicate these issues to the family and assist them with the transition to the hospital.
Other than our team, who attends the birth is entirely up to you. We want you to feel as comfortable and supported as possible, which is why we encourage you to involve your partner, family, or friends if you wish to.
After The Birth
Once the baby is born, we stay at the home to help clean everything up and get your home looking like it did before we arrived. This includes starting the laundry, emptying the birth pool, and disassembling/putting back any furniture. Typically we’ll remain with the mom and baby for 3 hours or so following the birth, until both the mom and baby are stable, comfortable and settled.
In the weeks following, we offer five postpartum visits for you and your baby. These will involve a health evaluation, breastfeeding and educational support, and emotional support as you transition into motherhood.
Interested in learning more about your home birthing options? Contact us at 513-399-7263 to set up a free consultation or have your questions answered by a member of our team.
